Visual integration hub
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsPaul Borrel, William A. Tulskie, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plurality of applications are integrated in a system by merging three-dimensional (3-D) display data contributions from the respective applications into a single display scene using a visual integration hub. The respective contributions of display data may be separately manipulated to establish registration or relative positioning and then locked together such that the composite image may be graphically manipulated as a single object. Two-dimensional (2-D) data such as text or spreadsheets are imbedded in the image and manipulated in the same manner as 3-D objects. The hub allows transfer of graphic data between applications and conversion of the graphic data to the format of each respective application.
Claims14
A visual integration hub for generating display data representing visual image output data of a plurality of applications, said visual integration hub comprising
- means for capturing said visual image output data of each application of said plurality of applications, each said application having its own respective application program interface (API)
- means for designating an application of said plurality of applications as a master application,
- means for manipulating a viewpoint of said visual output data of said master application to achieve registration with said visual data output of another application of said plurality of applications, said respective visual output data being provided to said HUB via said respective API, and
- means for selectively locking said master application with said another application such that a further manipulation of view point of a designated master application alters a viewpoint of other applications locked thereto to maintain said registration of applications which are locked.
A data processor implemented method for integration of a plurality of applications at a visual level by generating display data representing visual image output data of a plurality of applications, said method comprising steps of
- capturing said visual image output data of each application of said plurality of applications by means of a visual integration HUB implemented on a data processor, each said application having its own respective application program interface (API),
- designating an application of said plurality of applications as a master application by means of said visual integration HUB,
- manipulating by means of said visual integration HUB a viewpoint of said visual output data of said master application displayed on one or more terminals to achieve registration with said visual data output of another application displayed on one or more terminals of said plurality of applications, said respective visual output data being provided to said HUB via said respective API, and
- selectively locking said master application with said another application by means of said visual integration HUB such that a further manipulation of view point of a designated master application alters a viewpoint of other applications locked thereto to maintain said registration of applications which are locked.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.